Angel Meadow cover art

Angel Meadow

Victorian Britain's Most Savage Slum

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Angel Meadow

By: Dean Kirby
Narrated by: Nigel Gair
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About this listen

Step into the Victorian underworld of Angel Meadow, the vilest and most dangerous slum of the Industrial Revolution. In the shadow of the world's first cotton mill, 30,000 souls trapped by poverty are fighting for survival as the British Empire is built upon their backs.

Thieves and prostitutes keep company with rats in overcrowded lodging houses and deep cellars on the banks of a black river, the Irk. Gangs of "scuttlers" stalk the streets in pointed, brass-tripped clogs. Those who evade their clutches are hunted down by cholera and tuberculosis. Lawless drinking dens and a cold slab in the dead house provide the only relief from this filthy and frightening world.

Former Manchester Evening News journalist Dean Kirby takes listeners on a hair-raising journey through the alleyways, gin palaces, and underground vaults of the 19th-century Manchester slum considered so diabolical it was rechristened "hell upon earth" by Friedrich Engels in 1845. Enter Angel Meadow if you dare....

©2020 Dean Kirby (P)2020 Pen and Sword Europe Great Britain Social Classes & Economic Disparity Sociology England

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All stars
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The narrator appears to change multiple times mid way through the book. Poor narration spoilt what would otherwise be a good book.

Poor narration

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Although the narration of this book was the worst I have come across, I kept listening because the story was fascinating, well written and extensively researched. My compliments here go to the author. There was no proof listening or editing of the narration which became quite apparent early into the book, sometimes spoiling what is otherwise a great story.

Amazing story - terrible narration

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Very interesting, however, volume goes up and down. Strange pauses in the middle of a chapter and no pauses at the end of chapters before going to the next. The narrator seems to mutter a sentence then pauses, and all of a sudden its really loud. He makes several mistakes and corrects himself too. Some parts loop. I was constantly turning the volume up and down. Spoilt it really. I'd recommend buying the paper book and reading it yourself.

Great book, poor audio

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I couldn’t stop listening absolutely fascinating and brilliantly researched. Rarely come across a history books that so captures its subject.

Amazing

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Amazing tale of poverty.
Almost unbelievable, what a nasty time to live in if you had no money.

Stunning.

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The book is excellent and the only reason I persevered.
I'm surprised Dean Kirby chose this narrator, as a Mancunian in my opinion, would have known the correct pronunciation of 'Blackley'. Research on pronunciations would have helped.
The Narrator seems to drift off somewhere else and lose interest in the book. I do not believe that this is because he pre-read the chapters before narrating and knew what was coming, because had this been the case; the numerous drop offs of tone, altering of volume, huge gaps between wordings, schizophrenic reading, tongue trips and strange sentence constructions would have been avoided. I actually thought that maybe two people were taking turns in reading a line each at one point!
I found the narration very frustrating and distracting.
I have read the book previously and know that this is not how it was written. Dean Kirby's book was let down only by poor narration.

I would recommend a hard copy or the tablet version as the book itself is very well written.

The Narrator wakes up - occasionally.

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Poorly narrated, with often mispronounced words and wooden 'acting'. But the book itself is incredible!

Amazing

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This book is an excellent collection of stories, characters and the birth and end of the area. My family on my mother's side lived there from the 1880's until it's end in the 30's.
The narrative isn't the best, but it's been a great journey to learn of life in the Meadow.

An insight to the life of my ancestors

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Never new such poverty existed in our city, how on earth did those poor folks survive in such torrid times.
Made even better that some of the events make up our history and my great Manchester.

Every Manc

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